The Berlin film festival kicked off last night with the screening of Snow Cake, a love story between a car crash survivor and an autistic woman, starring Alan Rickman and Sigourney Weaver.

The film is among 19 films in competition to win the prestigious Golden Bear prize. Alongside Cannes and Venice, the Berlinale is one of the world's leading film festivals.

This year's crop of movies have a distinctly gritty feel to them. "The films this year are overall very political, very close to reality... directed toward people's problems, with less fantasy," said festival director Dieter Kosslick.

Michael Winterbottom will be in town to present The Road to Guant´namo, the story of the three British Muslims held in the infamous US base in Cuba for two years as suspected terrorists. Winterbottom won the Golden Bear prize in 2003 with In This World.

Also on show will be veteran director Claude Chabrol's look at corruption in the oil business in l'Ivresse du Pouvoir (The Ecstasy of Power), starring Gallic star Isabelle Huppert as a judge investigating an oil company executive.

Similarly, George Clooney will present Syriana, directed by Traffic writer Stephen Gaghan, about politics and oil interests in the Middle East. The film is screening out competition in Berlin, but Clooney is up for a best supporting actor gong at the Oscars for his part in Syriana.

Sidney Lumet (Serpico, Network) will screen his first feature in seven years, Find Me Guilty, the true story of the longest mob trial in US history.

Meanwhile, the Australian film Candy will showcase Heath Ledger as a heroin addict seeking redemption in the arms of an actress. Ledger is considered favourite to snatch a best actor Oscar for his part in Brokeback Mountain.

Robert Altman will present A Prairie Home Companion, about America's most popular radio programme, starring Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline